Utah attorney finds great success, despite lifelong disability

Utah attorney finds great success, despite lifelong disability

KSL (NBC) | January 14, 2011 | By Jennifer Stagg

SALT LAKE CITY — It can be tempting to feel sorry for ourselves when we are dealt a trial or struggle in life. But an attorney with the Utah Attorney General’s Office hasn’t let his wheelchair keep him from accomplishing remarkable things.

Steve Mikita has never taken a step in his life, never felt the weight of his body on his feet, never experienced the feeling of running. But that doesn’t mean he’s hasn’t taken bigger strides than most people ever do.

He’s just done it all sitting down.

“I always knew that yes, life would have its challenges and its inequalities,” he said. “But at the same time, it has a great deal of meaning and beauty and opportunities to serve and love.”

Mikita lives with spinal muscular atrophy, a condition that has deteriorated his muscles. But as an assistant attorney general for Utah and a graduate of Duke University and BYU, it’s rarely his disability people remember — it’s his passion and enthusiasm.